High-frequency bipolar transistor and method for the production thereof

ABSTRACT

A high-frequency bipolar transistor includes an emitter contact adjoining an emitter connection region, a base contact adjoining a base connection region, and a collector contact adjoining a collector connection region. A first insulation layer is disposed on the base connection region. The collector connection region contains a buried layer, which connects the collector contact to a collector zone. A silicide or salicide region is provided on the buried layer and connects the collector contact to the collector zone in a low-impedance manner. A second insulation layer is disposed on the collector connection region but not on the silicide region.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/254,502, filed on Oct. 20, 2005, which was a continuation of International Application PCT/EP2004/050335, filed on Mar. 19, 2004, which claims the benefit of priority to German Patent Application DE 10 2003 10318422.8 filed on Apr. 23, 2003, all of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The invention relates to a high-frequency bipolar transistor comprising at least an emitter contact adjoining an emitter connection region, a base contact adjoining a base connection region, a collector contact adjoining a collector connection region, a buried layer being provided as the collector connection region, said buried layer connecting the collector contact to the collector zone. Such a high-frequency bipolar transistor is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,350.

The invention furthermore relates to a method for the production of a high-frequency bipolar transistor, in which a collector connection region, a collector zone, at least on the collector connection region a first insulation layer, a base zone, a base connection region, at least on the base connection region a second insulation layer and an emitter connection region are made available, the collector connection region being embodied as a buried layer. Such a method is known from DE 19958062.

The equation below holds true for a bipolar transistor:

$\frac{1}{2\; \pi \; f_{T}} = {\tau_{f} + {\left( {R_{C} + R_{E}} \right)C_{BC}} + {\frac{C_{BE} + C_{BC}}{I_{C}}U_{T}}}$

where f_(T) is the transition frequency, ô_(f) is the transit time, R_(C) is the collector resistance, R_(E) is the emitter resistance, C_(BC) is the base-collector capacitance, C_(BE) is the base-emitter capacitance, I_(C) is the collector current and U_(T) is the thermal voltage.

As the collector current I_(C) increases, the term proportional to 1/I_(C) becomes smaller and smaller. The principal proportion of the transition frequency f_(T) is therefore given, besides the transit time ô_(f), in particular by the collector resistance R_(C) and the emitter resistance R_(E). In present-day transistors, however, the transition frequency f_(T) is given, besides the transit time ô_(f), principally by the collector resistance R_(C), which is typically an order of magnitude greater than the emitter resistance R_(E). Therefore, the collector resistance must be minimized for fast transistors.

In order to obtain a low-impedance collector connection, use is generally made of a highly doped buried layer. This layer is produced at the beginning of the transistor production. After it, a semiconductor layer in which the emitter, base and collector zones are produced is grown epitaxially on said low-impedance layer. The highly doped buried layer is connected by means of a metallic collector contact and led to the surface of the bipolar transistor. This is described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,350 and DE 19958062.

In general, a collector contact is provided on only one side of the transistor. If the buried layer is connected not just on one side but also on the opposite side or even annularly around the entire transistor zone, lower collector resistances may be obtained. Such transistor configurations have a resistance with a magnitude approximately a half or a quarter that of a configuration having only a single collector contact, since the collector current can flow not just toward one side, but toward two or four sides.

However, this embodiment entails significant disadvantages. Firstly, the transistor dimensions are enlarged by the additional collector contact zones. This leads to higher production costs on account of the larger substrate area required. Secondly, the collector-substrate capacitance of the bipolar transistor is also increased proportionally to the increasing area of the buried layer. This in turn leads to adverse effects, such as a higher gate delay time or increased power consumption of integrated circuits.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to present a high-frequency bipolar transistor which combines a small space requirement with a low collector resistance and thus a high transition frequency. Furthermore, it is an object to achieve a method for the production of such a bipolar transistor without additional process complexity.

According to the invention, the object is achieved by means of a high-frequency bipolar transistor of the type mentioned in the introduction which has a silicide region on the buried layer, said silicide region connecting the collector contact to the collector zone in a low-impedance manner. What is thereby achieved is that the collector resistance is reduced, because the collector zone of the bipolar transistor is virtually connected from all sides even though a collector contact is provided only on one side.

The invention is based on the insight that sheet resistances of approximately 1 ohm/sq can be obtained by means of a silicide region on the buried layer. By contrast, a corresponding buried layer having a thickness of a few μm, after doping, only has sheet resistances of approximately 10 ohm/sq. The sheet resistance of the buried layer and thus the collector connection resistance can therefore be reduced up to approximately one order of magnitude by means of a silicide region. The sheet resistance is then so low that even when contact is made with the buried layer on only a single side of the transistor, the collector connection region is connected in a low-impedance manner virtually from all sides by means of the silicide region.

In a typical configuration of the bipolar transistor according to the invention, the silicide region has a thickness in the range of between 10 and 200 nm; the thickness of the silicide region is preferably approximately 100 nm.

The silicide region typically contains at least one transition metal. The transition metal used may be titanium, cobalt, nickel, platinum or tantalum, for example, which form a corresponding transition silicide with silicon. The same metal as is required anyway in the overall process for siliciding other zones such as e.g. the base connection region or source, drain and gate zones of CMOS transistors is preferably used for the siliciding. Consequently, the transition metal for forming the silicide region can be integrated into the transistor without additional costs.

In a particularly advantageous configuration of the high-frequency bipolar transistor according to the invention, the silicide region contains titanium or cobalt. These transition metals ensure a particularly low sheet resistance of the buried layer. A metal that yields a minimum sheet resistance is thus chosen.

The siliciding or formation of the silicide region typically brings about a reduction of the sheet resistance from approximately 100 ohm/sq of a 100 nm thick doped polysilicon layer to approximately 1 ohm/sq. In comparison with this, the sheet resistance of a doped silicon layer having a corresponding thickness is approximately 10 ohm/sq, and a metal layer lies in the mohm/sq range.

Furthermore, the object is achieved, a method of the type mentioned in the introduction, by virtue of the fact that:

-   -   the first insulation layer is removed, at least partly, as far         as the buried layer, and     -   directly before the production of an emitter contact, of a base         contact and of a collector contact, a silicide region is made         available on the buried layer,     -   the silicide region being formed in such a way that the         collector contact is connected to the collector zone in a         low-impedance manner.

This makes it possible, without additional process complexity, to produce a high-frequency bipolar transistor which combines both a small space requirement and a low collector resistance and hence a high transition frequency.

In contrast to known methods, such as the so-called buried metal method, in which the buried layer is silicided directly after it has been produced, or is even completely composed of metal, in this case the buried layer is not silicided until after the bipolar transistor has been completely finished, directly prior to the beginning of the production of the contacts (of the electrodes). This avoids the application of metal while the transistor is actually being produced, and hence also metal contaminations which make such a process implementation incompatible and unsuitable for present-day transistor production methods.

The silicide region is typically formed with a thickness of between 10 and 200 nm, preferably 100 nm.

Another configuration of the method according to the invention provides for a transition metal, preferably titanium or cobalt, to be used for forming the silicide region. Said transition metal forms the corresponding transition metal silicide with silicon. A transition metal that yields a minimum sheet resistance of the buried layer is typically chosen.

In a further development of the method according to the invention, both the first insulation layer and the second insulation layer are removed, at least partly, so that the buried layer and the base connection region are at least partly uncovered and can be silicided. The insulation layers usually comprise silicon oxide or silicon nitride. The insulation layer can thus be removed using phosphoric acid in the case of silicon nitride, and using hydrofluoric acid in the case of silicon oxide. If both insulation layers are composed of the same material, there is no need for an additional process step for the etching. If the insulation layers are composed of different materials, after the etching of the first insulation layer the etchant is changed for the etching of the second insulation layer.

After the etching, both the base connection region and the buried layer are uncovered, at least partly, and can be silicided. In order to avoid an undesirable incipient etching of other chip regions, e.g. of insulation zones or other components, during the etchings, the etching may be effected with the aid of a mask. The mask is removed in the regions in which etching is intended to be effected, and the other regions remain covered.

The etching is usually effected wet-chemically on account of the high selectivity. In principle, however, it is also possible to use dry-chemical etching methods.

A preferred development of the method according to the invention provides for the silicide region to be formed in a self-aligned manner with respect to the base connection region. In this case, a silicide region is formed only on silicon; regions such as e.g. silicon oxide or silicon nitride are not silicided. Such a so-called “salicide method” (salicide=self-aligned silicide) is known from DE 19958062 by way of example.

The definition of the position of the silicide region on the buried layer thus takes place without the aid of photolithography. This means that the silicide region can be kept relatively small, for example in the range of between 0.25 and 0.35 μm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a known bipolar transistor;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic plan view of a known bipolar transistor in which the buried layer is provided with a collector contact on one side;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic plan view of a known bipolar transistor in which the buried layer is provided with a collector contact on two sides;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic plan view of a known bipolar transistor in which the buried layer is provided with a collector contact annularly around the transistor;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic plan view of a bipolar transistor according to the invention with a buried layer silicided in annular fashion, self-aligned with respect to the base connection region;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic plan view of a bipolar transistor according to the invention with a partly silicided buried layer, self-aligned with respect to the base connection region;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a bipolar transistor after the patterning of the emitter connection region; and

FIG. 8 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a bipolar transistor according to the invention after the etching of the insulation layers and after the formation of a silicide region.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS AND THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a known bipolar transistor 1, in which a buried layer 7 bounded by two insulation zones 11, here configured as deep trenches 11, is arranged in the semiconductor substrate 12. The buried layer 7 is connected via a collector contact 6, which is led out electrically to the surface of the bipolar transistor 1. This enables the bipolar transistor 1 to be integrated into an integrated circuit.

The bipolar transistor 1 furthermore contains an emitter contact 2 adjoining an emitter connection region 3, and also a base contact 4. In order to reduce the base resistance, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a silicided base connection region 13 is provided on a base connection region 5, said base connection region 13 connecting the base contact 4 to the base connection region 5. Such a bipolar transistor 1 is described in DE 199 58 062 by way of example.

The base zone 15 beneath the emitter connection region 3 may comprise silicon-germanium SiGe has and a thickness of between 1 nm and 200 nm, typically 30 nm. The collector zone 14 is arranged beneath the base zone 15 in a manner adjoining the buried layer 7. Said buried layer 7 is provided with a collector contact 6 only on one side of the bipolar transistor 1 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a plan view of a bipolar transistor in which the buried layer 7 is provided with a collector contact 6 on a single side. The base connection region 5 is connected by a base contact 4, and the emitter connection region 3 is connected by an emitter contact 2. In such a configuration, although the bipolar transistor 1 has a small area determined by the extent of the buried layer 7, the collector region (not illustrated here), on account of the relatively large sheet resistance of the buried layer 7, is connected by the collector contact 6 only on one side.

Smaller collector resistances can be obtained by the buried layer 7 being connected not just on one side, as in FIG. 2, but also on the opposite side, as shown schematically in a plan view in FIG. 3. The bipolar transistor 1 from FIG. 3 has a resistance with a magnitude approximately half that of the bipolar transistor 1 from FIG. 2.

However, it becomes clear that the area occupied by the buried layer 7 is larger than the buried layer 7 of the bipolar transistor from FIG. 2. The additionally required area of the buried layer 7 results from the width X1 of the collector contact 6, the distance X2 between the collector contact 6 and the base connection region 5, and an overhang X4 of the buried layer 7, the overhang X4 in FIG. 3 representing the distance between the collector contact 6 and the closest edge of the buried layer 7.

This additionally required area is given by the available photolithography and alignment tolerances. Typical contact hole widths in photolithography are nowadays 0.5 μm, for example, with alignment tolerances of 0.25 μm, so that overall the buried layer 7 is widened by approximately 1 μm if an additional collector contact 6 is provided.

Even lower sheet resistances of the buried layer 7 are obtained if, as shown schematically in FIG. 4, the collector contact 6 and the buried layer 7 are provided annularly around the base connection region 5. In this case, the collector current can flow on four sides, as a result of which the collector connection resistance is quartered. However, these enlarged collector contacts 6 lead to significantly enlarged dimensions of the bipolar transistor 1. In addition to increased production costs on account of the larger area required in the semiconductor substrate, the collector-substrate capacitance of the bipolar transistor 1 is also increased proportionally to the increasing area of the buried layer 7. This leads to a longer gate delay time of the transistor or an increased power consumption of integrated circuits.

Therefore, what transistor configuration has been used heretofore has depended on whether the transistor is designed for maximum transition frequency, as described with reference to FIG. 4, least space requirement, as described with reference to FIG. 2, or a compromise between the two, as described with reference to FIG. 3.

The bipolar transistor 1 according to the invention from FIG. 5 combines both a low collector resistance and hence a high transition frequency and a small space requirement. The plan view shows that the silicide region 8 extends around the base connection region 5. In FIG. 5, the width X3 of the overlap region between the collector contact 6 and the silicide region 8 is less than the width X1 of the collector contact 6.

The width X3 of the overlap region and the width X1 of the collector contact 6 are typically equal in magnitude. The collector contact 6 can thus cover the silicide region 8 with its entire cross section. The collector contact is also connected to the silicide region 8 when alignment inaccuracies occur.

Furthermore, the buried layer 7, on that side of the collector contact 6 which is remote from the base connection region 5, may remain unsilicided, as is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. This may be advantageous if other components that are not intended to be silicided are situated very near. An auxiliary mask that prevents the siliciding can then be chosen to be smaller than in the case where the buried layer 7 is completely silicided, that is to say if the silicide region 8 extends on the entire area of the buried layer 7. This reduces the possible minimum distance between the components and hence the required area of integrated circuits.

The silicide region 8 has a sheet resistance in the ohm range. The sheet resistance of the buried layer 7 is thus decreased in such a way that, even in the case of a metal contact-connection of the buried layer 7 with the aid of the collector contact 6 on only a single side of the bipolar transistor 1, the collector zone is effectively connected in low-impedance fashion from all sides by means of the silicide region 8.

It is not necessary in this case for the silicide region 8 to be led as a closed ring with respect to the collector contact 6. A significant reduction of the collector resistance already results if the buried layer 7 is silicided for example only as far as the end sides of the bipolar transistor 1, as is shown in a schematic plan view with reference to FIG. 6. Here, the silicide region 8 extends at least to the level of the emitter contact 2.

This configuration may be favorable for example if, as shown with reference to FIG. 1, the base connection region 5 is partly led via an insulation zone such as a trench. The transistor dimensions can thus be kept as small as possible.

For the bipolar transistor 1 according to the invention, it is unimportant whether the silicide region 8 covers the entire buried layer 7 that is not covered by the base connection region 5, or regions of the buried layer 7 remain unsilicided, as long as there is a continuous connection from the silicide region 8 to the collector contact 6.

A description is given below, with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, of how a silicide region 8 is produced in a self-aligned manner with respect to the base connection region 5, without significant additional outlay in comparison with known production methods.

Firstly, a bipolar transistor 1 is produced in a known manner, with the production of a buried layer 7, a collector zone 14, a first insulation layer 10 on the buried layer 7 and the collector zone 14, a base zone 15 on the collector zone 14, a base connection region 5, a second insulation layer 9 on the base connection region 5, and an emitter connection region 3. The emitter region, which adjoins the base region 15, is not shown.

Both the second insulation layer 9 and the first insulation layer 10 may be composed of silicon oxide or silicon nitride, for example. The first insulation layer 10 may have a thickness of a few 100 nm, preferably 100 to 600 nm, and the second insulation layer 9 may have a thickness of between 50 and 300 nm. Generally, the first insulation layer 10 is thicker than the second insulation layer 9.

The buried layer 7 typically comprises a 1 to 9 μm highly doped silicon layer, the collector zone 14 typically comprises a 100 to 1000 nm thick epitaxial silicon layer, and the base connection region 5 typically comprises a 50 to 300 nm thick highly doped polysilicon layer.

Such a known method for the production of a bipolar transistor 1 is described in detail in DE 199 58 062 C2, by way of example.

In the method according to the invention, it is then preferably the case, as shown with reference to FIG. 8, that the first insulation layer 10 is removed above the buried layer 7, using hydrofluoric acid in the case of silicon oxide and using phosphoric acid in the case of silicon nitride. This etching takes place in a self-aligned manner with respect to the base connection region 5. In order to avoid an undesirable incipient etching of other chip regions during these etchings, the etchings may be effected with the aid of a mask, which may be made of resist, for example, which covers regions in which etching is not intended to be effected, and only the regions which are intended to be silicided in a subsequent method step are left free.

It is conceivable for only the first insulation layer 10 to be removed completely as far as the buried layer 7 in order to produce a silicide region 8 in the buried layer 7.

For the production of the silicide region 8, it is possible, by way of example, either to apply a metal directly (e.g. with the aid of sputtering) and to convert the surface of the buried layer 7 and of the metal into a silicide, or to apply a silicide directly. The thickness of such a silicide region 8 is typically in the range of between 10 and 200 nm.

If, besides the buried layer 7, the base connection region 5 is also additionally intended to be silicided, the second insulation layer 9 is likewise removed. If the second insulation layer 9 and the first insulation layer 10 are composed of the same material, then it is usually not even necessary to lengthen the etching time for this purpose, since the first insulation layer 10 is generally thicker than the second insulation layer 9. If the insulation layers 9 and 10 are composed of different materials, after the etching of the second insulation layer 9 the etchant is changed for the removal of the first insulation layer 10.

Both the second insulation layer 9 and the first insulation layer 10 may in each case be constructed from different layers. The etchings are then to be performed in such a way that at least all the layers of said insulation layers 9 and 10 are removed.

The method described above has the effect that the buried layer 7 is silicided in a self-aligned manner with respect to the base connection region 5. The silicide region 8 on the buried layer 7 is thereby arranged on a gradient aligned with respect to the outer boundary of the base connection region 5, that is to say that the silicide region 8 directly adjoins the base connection region 5 in a plan view, as can be seen from FIGS. 5 and 6. Particularly small dimensions of the bipolar transistor 1 are thereby possible, smaller than those produced by means of photolithography. Further advantages of self-alignment consist in the symmetrical construction of the bipolar transistor 1. Moreover, lower costs are incurred than in the case of aligned methods, since no lithography is required.

Afterward, the bipolar transistor 1 is completed in the customary manner, that is to say that a dielectric is deposited which covers the entire bipolar transistor 1. Afterward, metal contacts, the emitter contact, the base contact and the collector contact, are produced and metallization planes are deposited.

The method described above can be employed both for self-aligned double polysilicon transistors, that is to say those transistors in which the emitter and base connection regions are in each case composed of polysilicon and are self-aligned with respect to one another, and for polytransistors or aligned transistors.

What is achieved overall by means of the invention is that a high-frequency bipolar transistor is provided which combines both a small space requirement and thus a lower power consumption, and a low collector resistance and hence a high transition frequency with one another. Moreover, a method according to the invention has been presented which makes it possible to produce a high-frequency bipolar transistor having the properties mentioned above, without additional process complexity.

In comparison with known bipolar transistors with the same space requirement, the high-frequency bipolar transistor according to the invention has a lower collector resistance and hence a better transistor performance, such as a higher transition frequency, shorter gate delay times, or a lower power consumption of integrated circuits. The production costs are comparable in this case.

In comparison with known high-frequency bipolar transistors with an annularly connected collector, the high-frequency bipolar transistor according to the invention exhibits similarly fast transition frequencies, but with significantly lower production costs on account of the smaller space requirement, and a lower power consumption on account of the smaller collector-substrate capacitance.

It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that it be understood that it is the following claims, including all equivalents, that are intended to define the spirit and scope of this invention. Nor is anything in the foregoing description intended to disavow scope of the invention as claimed or any equivalents thereof. 

1. A high-frequency bipolar transistor comprising: an emitter contact electrically connected to an emitter connection region; a base contact electrically connected to a base connection region; a collector contact electrically connected to a collector connection region, the collector connection region including a buried layer, the buried layer electrically connecting the collector contact to a collector zone; a silicide region provided on the buried layer, the silicide region electrically connecting the collector contact to the collector zone; and wherein the silicide region extends around the base connection region.
 2. The bipolar transistor as claimed in claim 1, wherein a width of overlap between the collector contact and the silicide region is less than a width of the collector contact.
 3. The bipolar transistor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the silicide region does not extend to a side of the collector contact which is farther from the base connection region than an opposing side of the collector contact.
 4. The bipolar transistor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the silicide region covers the entire buried layer other than that on which the base connection region is disposed.
 5. The bipolar transistor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the silicide region is a salicide region. 